This chapter examines a brief look at the kinds of criteria that are commonly used in research assessment, especially in the assessment of theses. Assessment criteria are usually expressed explicitly in a journal's or publisher's Guidelines for Authors and implicitly in the articles / books they publish. Here, important values are the student's mastery of basic research methodology, the student's knowledge of the major work done on given topic, and the student's ability to write good academic prose. These all mean added value for the student concerned. Plagiarism means taking ideas or passages of text from other authors without saying where they come from. Etymologically, the word goes back to the idea of kidnapping: taking something without permission, a kind of stealing. Research is a journey with no ultimate end-point. But the travelling can be fun, especially in congenial company. Authors hope this short book has given a sense of direction, a preliminary map, and maybe even a first compass.